Attentive
by no-rhyme-no-reason-in-love
Summary: Mizuiro Kojima's eyes rarely leave his phone. So how did he see as much as he did? Well, Ichigo always wore his heart on his sleeve.


A/N: Hey there! I've always viewed Mizuiro as someone who sees too much and speaks too little. I honestly believe he is one of the first people to discover Ichigo's interest and then feelings for Orihime. So this is how he saw Ichihime through the years. I've been saving this until I reached a certain point in Hello Halcyon Days, and I have so enjoy!

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It's subtle. The way he clenches his hands into fists whenever someone gets too close to her is subtle. He probably doesn't even feel it happening. Doesn't even realize it when or after it happens. Doesn't even know that though the action is subtle, the meaning is not. To me, at least, it's not subtle at all; it's explicit.

He probably doesn't know how she's different to him. Doesn't know how his tone becomes softer, how his words are censored from his usual abrasiveness, how he regards her with the upmost respect and fondness, how he almost perks up when she shows up. He doesn't know, but I do.

I remember seeing her for the first time. She was beautiful, I thought. Too young for my taste, though. Too innocent. But beautiful, nonetheless. I remember saying aloud her name, testing how it sounded on my lips, seeing if her name matched her beauty.

"Inoue Orihime."

A whisper. Nothing more but a murmur, but his head snapped to her direction. And it was simple. There was no doubt in his mind that he knew who she was. He knew her name. He, the guy who is notorious for not being good with names or faces, knew her. He had just met her. High school had just started, but he knew her. I had just met him, too, but at that moment, I knew. And when he scowled and asked, "What about her?" I knew even more.

She liked him. I knew that, too. It was obvious to everyone. Or it should've been. She blushed too often around him. Stuttered too much when he passed her. Sought him out continuously. Worried about him constantly. Smiled prettily at him.

So it was obvious. But not to him. And I felt bad for her. I remembered feeling pity for her in the beginning because she liked him. This guy who could only think with his fist. So I asked him. Just a small question that would alleviate this curiosity, this sympathy I had.

"What do you think of Inoue-san?"

I glanced from my phone, gauging his reaction. It didn't disappoint.

He placed his chin in his hand, and he gazed at her. And he scowled. Not in his usual, guarded way. In a thoughtful way, like he was actually thinking about it, thinking about what he thought of the pretty princess.

He shrugged. "She's nice."

And that was that. But it was so much more.

I remember seeing them talk one time. After she left to sit at her desk, I walked over to his.

"What was that about?"

He looked at me, and then looked at her. And he laughed. It was short, but it was a laugh.

"I have no idea."

"She's a weird one, isn't she?"

He nodded slowly. "Yeah."

And if I blinked, I would have missed it. If I breathed, it would have gone unheard. I would have missed the small smile and the tender tone.

But there was a time that my conviction was shaken. It was when that petite girl showed up. For the brief time that she was here, I thought maybe I was wrong. Wrong about my friend because he spent his time with Kuchiki Rukia. And so I thought maybe, just maybe, I misread all the signs.

But then we returned for summer, and she was gone, and the space that was usually between the two red heads was gone.

Keigo was jealous of their closeness. I could tell. I was curious, but that pitying feeling I held toward her was gone. From the looks of it, she enjoyed their friendship, and so did he.

And my conviction was back.

It was when she disappeared that I definitely knew, though. Because it hurt just to look at him. And if it hurt just to see him, I couldn't imagine the pain he must have been feeling. It looked like every breath would be his last, and the saddest part about it was that he looked like he would be happy if it was.

Arisawa-san, Keigo, and I followed him, spied on him. And we saw the transformation. We saw him transform from a man who had no life to a man with iron resolve. To a man would stop at nothing to save her.

And he did. He saved her. He brought her back. But they were both different. They both paid a price, but they paid it together. And I knew he was hurt, but she was by his side, and it was because she was by his side that I knew he would be okay.

Days turned into months as they grew closer. To the point that I wondered why they were doing this to themselves. Why deny it for so long. And then I knew why. Because she had Shuu-san. Shuu-san who called her by her first name.

It hurt to look at Ichigo again.

But then he was gone. And then they were soon gone, too. And a man came and told of us that Ichigo might not be able to come home. And I wanted to laugh. And I wanted to argue. I remember that I wanted to cry.

Something happened when they finally returned. He looked at her like she would disappear at any second. He looked like if she ever did, he would follow her. He looked like he would disappear, too. Something must've happened to her because he was finally realizing what she meant to him.

So now I'm waiting. Waiting for the right moment to tell him what I saw that first day when he returned to school after he recovered from the wounds he received from that place and those people which held her hostage. And when that moment comes, I'll tell him how his eyes moved to her desk as soon as he stepped into the classroom. I'll tell him that despite the loss of his powers, the fresh sadness he had, I've never seen him look happier. So happy just because she was there. Just because she was there smiling and greeting him with that familiar "Kurosaki-kun."

I think I won't have to wait for long. The right moment will be coming soon.


End file.
